Finding the right material for odd trousers - those worn with sports jackets rather than suits - is not easy.

The kind of smooth, worsted cloths you're used to wearing as part of a suit are too sleek and formal. Many cottons, particularly garment-washed chinos, are too casual.

The most popular alternative is flannel. In grey, it is a menswear classic and very versatile in its formality.

But it has disadvantages - specifically, that it is too thick to wear for much of the year and is terrible at holding its shape: it bags quickly and is awful when wet.

I have a lot of grey flannels - in fact, five pairs in various shades and weights. (And in the warmer months I wear a lot of high-twist trousers like Fresco and Crispaire.)

But I am increasingly turning towards cavalry twill, as a very versatile and functional alternative.

And I would certainly put it above the various other wool twills, like gabardine, serge, covert etc.

Among wool trousers, twills (those with a diagonal stripe running across the material) are particularly good for holding their shape and draping well.

But usually the first twill a tailor will offer is a gabardine.

This is the more traditional choice for an odd trouser, being more formal. But its formality and sheen make it less useful in a modern environment, when you might want to wear it with everything from a button-down popeline to a cowboy shirt (as pictured here).

Cavalry twill is less shiny, largely because of the double-twill weave that defines it - if you look closely at the surface, you can see two lines running down in parallel, rather than the single twill found on gabardine, serge, covert etc.

This also makes it more robust. (It was originally created for military riding trousers and breeches, hence the name.)

Part of cavalry twill's strength and durability is also reflected in the angle of that diagonal line.

To make a twill line run more steeply - more vertically down the cloth, rather than across it - you put more warp ends in relative to the weft. Of the wool twills, serge usually has an equal balance of warp and weft, gabardine has more warp ends, and cavalry twill has the most of all.

(They do all vary, however, and are usually best defined by other things - such as the tightness of weave with gabardine and the double twill with cavalry twill. More detail on weaves in general can be found on our 'Weaves and Designs' post, part of the Guide to Cloth.)

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In a dark colour, eg green or brown, it could be nice. I would go with covert perhaps though – I have a green-covert suit from Vergallo I am yet to right about that I think works very well in that regard.

from my own experiences I can only confirm what you write about cavalry twill. I wasn’t familiar with this material but ordered a pair from New and Lingwood in sand. When I saw the material on photos I was a bit concerned it could look kind of synthetic. But then, I was really surprised about how versatile and comfortable to wear they are. Even when worn frequently, they hold their shape pretty well. Due to this and the plain front cut it’s easy to combine them with sports coats or even short length leather jackets. That said, they become one of my most worn trousers during the last time (besides grey flannels, of course).

Interesting. I like satinated cotton (smooth and a little bit shiny but not formal) for summer trousers and jackets but I am struggling to identify fabric merchants offering such them for tailors. I believe most are made in Italy. Do you know of any by any chance?

I purchased a pair of rtw, CT trousers from Paul Stuart last fall, Nov. ’16. Trousers are a dark olive. PS also sold them in navy which were very nice. I chose the olive because I though it more versatile and find it so. I do also think that the navy would be versatile as well. I’m surprised, Simon, that I do not see olive listed in your cited posted on Trouser Colors?

I just looked at PS´s website (nice initials by the way). They offer cotton cavalry twill trousers. You only mention the wool version, so I wonder what you think of the cotton one.
Another reader recommends New & Lingwood. Are you familiar with their trousers?

Just out of curiosity, do you think a pair of worsted trousers of a versatile colour (like charcoal/mid grey) can work as odd trouser? There are many examples where people do this, but the result often varies very much. Some look very nice but some not so nice. Are there any times that you would try that? Also, what do you thinks of the idea of combining worsted odd jackets and trousers? Perhaps in a little more formal setting than normal sports jackets + trousers in less formal fabrics like flannel?

Cavalry twill trousers. That brings back memories. The trouser of choice for members of the Young Conservatives in the 1960s. Preferably teamed with a tattersall shirt, a cravat, string back gloves and a Sunbeam Alpine.

As nice as the trousers are, you’ve said hardly anything about the most striking part of the outfit- the cowboy shirt! I’d love to know your reasoning behind choosing this over a regular denim shirt- i have to say it’s not something I’d ever wear in an outfit like this (or at all of Im honest), but I’ve also never considered wearing one with tailored clothes

Another great outfit here, Simon… So this is 13oz from the Dakota bunch, would you recommend this for Summer or is it too heavy and more suitable for Spring? There are some nice 14 to 14.5 oz also in that H&S Dakota bunch — but wondering if they’re more for the winter…

Hi Simon
Following a meeting at your shop I ordered a bespoke pair of trousers from one of the tailors there. We had quite a discussion about pleats which seem very much in vogue in Naples. I notice you opted for a flat front here. Can I ask why. Also you say the cloth holds its shape well does this include its crease. I wonder that more people don’t opt for perhaps treated cloth that keeps its crease /shape better
Thanks
Paul

I tend to prefer flat fronts both because they look more contemporary and because pleats don’t deal well with my shape – a prominent seat that tends to force those pleats open and keep them open.

Yes, cav twill holds a crease well. Generally people avoid treating cloth to maintain that crease because it detracts from the natural behaviour of the cloth. In the long term some artificial creases can cause the cloth to crack along the pleat as well.

Hi Simon,
First of all thank you for your invaluable work here, it means a lot.
I wanted to know what’s your take on trouser linings as I’m going to have one made and wanted to know your opinion. Do you prefer half, full or no lining at all?. I’m including casual pants to (except jeans of course).
Thankfully,
Fernando.

Yes – cavalry twill is very fitting in the modern world where suits are less common. I have some trousers coming soon in moleskin – another of the cotton fabrics that is very comfortable for casual wear. Given it’s work-wear history and somewhat floppy shape, it’s further down the casual spectrum, I think, than cavalry twill, but can still look nice with a casual jacket – maybe unstructured rather than structured. Would you agree?

Hello Simon,
I like the way the fly on these trousers is created to be flat and even and the lapp sits nice and tight against the waistband, with no corners popping up. I’m curious how this fly and lapped waistband are created? Such as – is it a zipper fly or button fly, 2 side-by-side hook and bar closures appear to hold the end of the lapp in place but I can’t be sure, and so on. I know this is a little detailed but if you could explain each attachment piece of the fly, that would be great for my own trousers to match this similar look.

Thanks for the help and a quick side note here – I voiced some concerns before about where things were headed for you and PM with the changes in the recent past, such as the revamped website, and your assurance that the important elements I’ve enjoyed since the beginning would remain unchanged. It’s nice to see those assurances are holding strong. Nice going!

Thanks. It is a zip fly, there is a button in the centre above the fly and one hook and bar closure at the end.

In my experience, however, these details are not what make the front lie clean – it is more caused by the construction of the lining to the waistband, the attention to detail and finishing there, and of course the fit to make sure nothing is pulling.

Usually, yes, but bear in mind whipcord usually just means a single prominent twill rather than double. So you can still get lots of different colours, melanges, yarns etc that will affect how casual or not it looks

Simon, your casual trousers always look spot on. If you don’t mind, could you offer up some advice in terms of rise and hem measurements? At 5’7 I’m finding it difficult to find options that I find both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. My natural waist is above my navel and I have a rather long torso.

Hi Simon, I notice you say you wear your pants at the waist but what height is this? I ask because my waist is about 3 inches above my belly button but you don´t seem to wear such high waisted trousers. Do you wear them at your belly button or above it?
Thanks in advance

Hi Simon,
Thanks for this article. I will try cavalry twill for trouser next time.
I wound like to ask if the cavalry twill trouser is suitable for hot climate?
And which kind of flannel is better for trousers? worsted or woolen?

I have ordered pair of trousers in the same cavalry twill as in this post so I’m curious how they will turn out. However when I went through H&S Dakota bunch I found very little choices for cavalry twill.

Can you recommend some other mills and bunches for cavalry twill with more colors? Colors like navy, cream, light fawn, chocolate and so on?

Simon,
You mention that CT trousers are relatively durable. Do you have any experience in cycling in them? What I mean here are very short (2-3 km) commutes on a city bike. I would not do it in flannels but for CT it may be possible. What do you think?

I don’t quite know where to put this, but here we go…
I, and I believe many of your other readers, would love to see a segment by you called, “What I am Wearing Today”. The title is self-explanatory. It can be as random as you have time for and shouldn’t take much writing work as you would merely just give us some short description of the items you’re wearing on that particular day and maybe where you are headed and why you picked what you are wearing; quick and dirty bullet points – with pictures/ or a picture even- of course. Think of it as a more detailed sequel to the piece you did a while ago telling us how you decide what to wear every morning.

I did give you the idea of the Lookbook, so maybe you’ll entertain my crazy thoughts once again. Thank you, Simon

Hi Jackson,
The thoughts are appreciated, thank you. I do like publishing images like this, and descriptions, and I know readers like them.
However, I do also like to get use decent photography, and put some thought into what I’m writing about the pieces. As a result it’s hard to commit to doing quite so much extra coverage.
I will carry on doing these pieces, but I would also suggest browsing through the Lookbook (which has worked well – thanks) and following on Instagram, where I do sometimes do Stories about little things I’m wearing each day.

Talking to Russell at GB it looks like a lot of the classic Cavalry Twill is around the 20-21 oz mark. I understand that this is also the “classic” weight for trousers in this type of cloth. Would I end up with something unwearably warm at that weight and what is your view that such heavy weight is the classic/traditional weight?

It’s the traditional weight just because it’s been used most for really rugged clothing, even outerwear.
I don’t think it would be unbearably hot at 20-21. It would be wearable. It’s just that you’d end up not wearing it for large parts of the year.

Trousers made of 20-21oz CT are warm, but less than those made of flannel. I am using mines until late spring, more or less until the moment when I am moving to lightweight wool / linen.
The big advantage is that they need very little pressing. Great for travelling.

Any experience with the Summer Variety cavalry twills from H&S? I’m looking to add more texture to my multi-season trouser lineup, but afraid the Dakota line would be too warm into the warmer months. Do you think the 8oz is just a bit too light to drape well?